A Filmmaker's Guide to: 20 Films of the 1990s

As we move in to the 1990s, we see that film's budget is seriously starting to expand. We also see that everyone is trying to make the next great epic in whatever style that may be. Whether it be courtroom drama with Oliver Stone's "JFK" (1991), or biopic with Richard Attenborough's "Chaplin" (1992), whether it be a crime drama with Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" (1990) or Frank Darabont's epic prison movie "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994). Everyone is all about making the next classic film to be remembered as we approach the end of a millennia.

During this era, Spielberg would pretty much dominate when it came to high drama as he actually finishes his film degree during this decade as well. Submitting as his thesis the film "Schindler's List" (1993) I really don't think any other student of film has made quite the impact with their thesis projects to this day. As we move through the decade we get another one of his classic films, "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) - a war film a la "All Quiet on the Western Front" that wants to show us the true feats and brutalities of war.

Meanwhile, the Jazz-And-Violence Director Quentin Tarantino was just about polishing up his first movie. "Reservoir Dogs" (1992) came out in the 90s and made a huge impact on the screen with its very simplistic storyline, complex characters, excellent writing and sheer brutality. Tarantino's trademark would become all of these things and showcasing his talent early meant that he could become the new rival of brutality-thriller director David Fincher. It was only when David Fincher's "Seven" (1995) was being made that Quentin Tarantino would hit Hollywood with what some call his magnum opus - "Pulp Fiction" (1994).

David Fincher spent a lot of his time with Brad Pitt in the 1990s, directing him in the hit thriller "Seven" (1995) alongside the legendary Morgan Freeman of "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) and then, directing him in the box-office failure that was "Fight Club" (1999). Ironically, "Fight Club" (1999) to this day, has been watched more times than "Seven" (1995). It had become part and parcel to the cult-classic alongside what was Tarantino's third film and my personal favourite - "Jackie Brown" (1997). (If you have not watched "Jackie Brown" (1997) then can I please recommend that you stop reading this article and go and watch that film).

Tom Cruise was just about to punch in his most well-known role as Ethan in the "Mission: Impossible" series. In the first film, if we remember, the key scene where he is hanging from the ceiling has been imitated and parodied in many many movies since its release in 1996. It was really the beginning of the action series era as "Die Hard" (1988) from the previous decade seemed to almost be getting ahead. I feel like America too, wanted a slice of the James Bond-esque action. This is really how they got it.

High Drama was becoming far more popular as more and more directors sought to making overtly dramatic, emotional films with my personal favourite of the decade being the biopic "Chaplin" (1992) starring the incredible Robert Downey Jr. as the comedy legend in his most iconic years - which is pretty much all of them. Al Pacino was in the novel-adapted high drama "Scent of a Woman" (1992) for which he'd steal the Best Actor Oscar from Robert Downey Jr. and Denzel Washington was making his greatest impact yet in Spike Lee's epic biopic "Malcolm X" (1992).

20 Films of the 1990s

With all of the different genres in the 1990s becoming more and more popular, I have to say that the most popular genre would be that everyone was trying to create the next American Classic. It is like when everyone was trying to decide upon what the Great American Novel should be - film had become a serious part of USA culture. I believe that when it comes to deciding upon the country's classic, you cannot deny that there are some amazing contenders here. We get our era's most incredible actors making their names in the 80s and the 90s: Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and many more. The biggest names in modern directing are also upon the list when it comes to these decades: Spielberg, Tarantino, Scorsese, Stone, Attenborough and many more.

These films are in no particular order

1. Forrest Gump (1994)

2. Titanic (1997)

3. The Sixth Sense (1999)

4. Chaplin (1992)

5. Mission: Impossible (1996)

6. Malcolm X (1992)

7. Schindler's List (1993)

8. Seven (1995)

9. Scent of a Woman (1992)

10. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

11. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

12. Donnie Brasco (1997)

13. Goodfellas (1990)

14. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

15. The Green Mile (1999)

16. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

17. JFK (1991)

18. Pulp Fiction (1994)

19. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

20. The Matrix (1999)